Soluting America’s Citizen Soldiers
With Operation Iraqi
Freedom well underway, Hamilton-Ryker would like to take this opportunity to
acknowledge the Citizen-Soldiers of America. The members of The National Guard and other Reservists put
their lives on hold to defend our great nation. They leave their families and careers behind to serve our
country and protect the freedoms we all enjoy. Many are deployed overseas, while others are sent to active
duty installations to support the operation.
During this trying
time, one cannot help but wonder what happens to those left behind. The families of members of the National
Guard and other Reservists may be affected by additional financial burden as
their loved ones serve our country.
To assist with the loss of income, the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act
of 1940 was created. This statute
was created by Congress during World War I and reenacted during World War
II. It was modified during
Operation Desert Storm and has been reenacted at this time. The SSCRA was designed to give relief
from some civic obligations so that the service member could focus on the task
at hand.
All National
Guardsmen and Reservists who are in active federal service are protected under
the SSCRA. This act protects them
in a variety of different ways.
The SSCRA caps the interest rate at 6% on all loans, including credit
cards, mortgages and some student loans for the duration of active duty
service. Another type of relief
provided is a stay of proceedings.
If a service member is involved in a law suit, they may obtain a
postponement of those proceedings, but will not be able to put off the
proceedings indefinitely.
Included is protection from default judgments. A default judgment is when a party has failed to defend against
a claim. In addition the SSCRA
provides protection from eviction and termination of pre-service leases. The service member may also obtain
temporary relief from paying their mortgages.
The SSCRA is a big
help for those who have answered the call to arms. The United States Supreme Court has declared the Act must
read with “an eye friendly to those who dropped their affairs to answer
their country’s call.”
The SSCRA is a wonderful tool for our troops, but if you would
like to support these great Americans on a more personal level, here are a few
web sites to steer you in the right direction:
·
The
Gift of Groceries program at helps
meet the family needs of our Guard and Reserve troops.
·
Donate a calling card to
help keep service members in touch with their families at Operation Uplink.
·
Sign a virtual thank you
card at the Defend America Web site .
·
The newspaper Stars and Stripes will include a daily “Messages of
Support” section giving family and friends of deployed service members a
chance to pass along greetings, announcements, and words of encouragement. Such messages (limited to 50 words or
less) will be printed on a first-come, first-run basis. Messages may be sent to: messages@stripes.com
·
You can also make
donations to one of the military relief societies:
·
Donate to Operation USO Care Package
·
Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces
Emergency Services
·
Another way to show your
appreciation is to volunteer at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who defended
our freedom in past conflicts. It
is important to remember to thank our service men and women not only through
conflicts, but also in peace times.
One
last thing to keep in mind, the Department of Defense asks that we not flood
the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to the security concerns and
transportation constraints, the Department cannot accept items to be mailed to
“Any Service member.”